"Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, for in You do I trust;
Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul to You."
Psalm 143:8

Monday, November 29, 2010

Thankful

I realize I haven't been keeping up very well with William's blog and, for those of you who diligently check on his progress, I apologize. Thank you for the calls on his behalf.As I sit to write this post, I am reflecting on how very much I have to be thankful for. Where do I possibly begin? Of course, there are the usual things...family, my sweet husband, our dear children, a warm house, plenty of food, my salvation, etc. All things that I truly am grateful for. But at this time of year, when everyone is focusing on thankfulness, I wonder, do many stop to think about WHO they are thankful to? Are we thankful to our boss for giving us a job? Are we thankful to ourselves for figuring out how to manage our finances in such a way to buy that great house? Are we thankful to random chance that we have health and happiness?Let us not forget that it is God who ordains and directs all things and it is to Him alone that we should give our thanks. He gives and He takes away; all for a purpose much higher than ourselves and for His own glory. This year, though I am truly thankful to God for all of the aforementioned items, I am even more thankful for the hard times we've had. While that may sound weird, allow me to explain.I am thankful for our insurance company, who denied the $15,000 payment of William's life-saving airway clearance vest as "investigational" because he does not have cystic fibrosis. Why? Because I found myself relying too heavily on them and not on God. I was beginning to place my trust in them to meet all of William's needs, forgetting the Creator who made him and loves him and meets every single one of his needs, even when I don't know they exist yet. I know that it is God who provides and trust that He will do so, even when man fails us and we don't see a way.I am thankful that the School for the Blind refused to help us. Again, I was looking for guidance from a State run institution. The command to "render unto Caesar what is Caesar's, but unto God what is God's" could easily have been cast aside here, but for God's restraining hand of protection.I am thankful, not for the abundance this year, but for the lack thereof; for in it God has increased my contentment and I am more joyful for it. I am thankful that the Holy Spirit has not left me to dwell in my sinful flesh, but moves on my heart with compassion and places within me a longing for Him, a trusting of Him, and a reliance on Him, not my own weak powers and not on what this world has to offer.And, just so you can join in our thankfulness, here is a recent picture of our little man:

He is standing unassisted whenever he is asked to now AND he can hold it for at least 3 minutes! He is also taking up to 2 steps (while in control of his body). He made it up to 4 one day, but we've yet to repeat it. I know he will, though.This last week he's been tracking things better with his eyes, his depth perception seems better as we play little games with him and he hits his target on the first try, which he never used to do, and he is using more and more words without prompting. It's a very exciting time in our household! Oh, and the best part of all? He's had 8 months with no hospital, no pneumonias, and no "scary" illness!

"Rejoice in the LORD, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness." Psalm 97:12

Praise God! It's so funny how everywhere I look and read these days, I see another writing of God's great goodness despite _____. So many ask, "How can God still be good when this happens?" But He is good, exceedingly good! "He's got the whole world in His hands!" Thank you for the reminder and living example of contentment and trust in God! Your family is a blessing to us! Eight months is amazing! We are praying for you all!

Profile

What began as updates of William's daily life as seen through the eyes of his mother: about deafness and learning to hear with cochlear implants, blindness, breathing issues, mobility, and more...became one family learning to walk through their deepest sorrow when William flew home to heaven on October 18, 2015.